Strategy, Portfolios, Project Offices and Project Organizations

Strategy, Portfolios, Project Offices and Project Organizations

Project portfolio management is another area of project management. This type of management occurs at high levels in an organization.

1. What is a project portfolio, and who manages and directs it?

2. What is the relationship between a project portfolio and a company’s business strategy?

3. What is a project office, and would you consider it a functional areas of a company? Or something different? What is the purpose of a project office? What are its typical activities?

4. Describe pure project, functional, and matrix project organizations. How are they different in terms of cost to the company and the extent to which they encourage collaboration between the parts of an organization?

5. What is the difference between a strong, weak, and balanced matrix? When might you, as a project sponsor, want the team to work in a strong matrix rather than a weak matrix?

6. Can you give an example of a project that would require a pure project organization? A functional organization? A matrix organization? Justify your answer.

7. Assume you are working on a prototype for a new phone that attaches to your shirt like a lapel pin. You tap it to activate it, and then use voice technology to make phone calls or send texts. The product will require a significant amount of coordination among marketing, sales, finance, operations, research & development, IT, and purchasing and for the life of the project. What project organization would you use? If the company uses a technology introduction strategy where they create new technology, and then license it, what type of project organization is most suitable?